Mullin: Colorado Gives Day offers chance to make a difference

We hear a lot about organizational collaboration in the nonprofit community these days. However, collaboration is more than just a buzzword. True organizational collaboration helps to make scarce charitable resources go further. By working together, nonprofit organizations can solve more problems using existing resources — thus improving efficiency.

A great example of collaboration is in Weld County for Colorado Gives Day. When this annual day of giving began in 2010, several local charities worked independently to obtain financial support for their work through this campaign. After that first year it became evident that we could all be more successful by pooling our resources. Not only did the 16 groups comprising the Weld County Collaboration pool marketing dollars to drastically reduce overall costs for advertising, they also pooled intellectual capital and developed joint strategies that would have been impossible for most agencies to do on their own.

These days it is tough to raise money. There are more organizations looking for less available dollars. In addition to finding new ways to fund raise, nonprofit organizations must also seek creative ways to cut costs. I am proud to partner with local organizations such as A Kid’s Place, A Woman’s Place, Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County, The Community Foundation Serving Greeley and Weld County, Eldergarden Adult Day Care, Greeley Center for Independence, Inc., The Greeley Dream Team, Inc., High Plains Library District Foundation, KUNC, Boy Scouts of America Longs Peak Council, Pathways Hospice, Partners Mentoring Youth, Right to Read — Weld County, United Way of Weld County and The Wild Animal Sanctuary.

Organizations participating in Colorado Gives Day undergo a very rigorous vetting process by the Community First Foundation, the organizer of Colorado Gives Day. This process includes reviewing their programs, reviewing their financial statements, ensuring past audits have been without negative findings, requiring transparency in operations, checking governance practices, and ensuring appropriate registrations are in place at the state and federal level. There are organizations that meet the minimum threshold for participating who are not a part of Colorado Gives Day, however by choosing one of the organizations that are involved, you can rest assured that an independent foundation has done background research necessary to ensure peace of mind.

So, with Colorado Gives Day on Tuesday, I encourage you to take this opportunity to “give where you live.” By supporting any one of the participating organizations from Weld County you can be confident that your investment is going to be used effectively and make a difference in the lives of your neighbors and friends. Happy Holidays and thank you for your support of our great community.

Kevin L. Mullin, CFRE, is director of development at Weld Food Bank in Greeley. He can be reached at (970) 356-2199 ext. 304 or kevin@weldfoodbank.org.